As February winds swirl, do you dream of seeding a garden of plump tomatoes, fresh salad greens, and chili peppers? It turns out that many first-time gardeners and first-time authors make a similar mistake. After months or even years of imagining their book, or their garden, they jump in. They work like crazy, cultivating the soil or writing the manuscript. Finally, when the garden is seeded and the book is written and delivered to their publisher, they’re exhausted. They slack off and forget to water their seeds, or take steps to market their book.
“It’s a huge mistake,” observes Josh Bernoff, author of the Business Book ROI Study, the largest-ever survey of published business authors, and an invaluable source of data on the benefits of publishing a book. Bernoff says that it’s critical to assemble a combination of social media, public speaking, and publicity and to orchestrate those marketing efforts so they hit a crescendo on publication date. When authors invest in marketing, it bears fruit. The study reveals that 19% of business book authors paid for book launch PR; 14% paid for social media specialists; and 10% used a general PR agency. The median amount spent was $15,000.
“Every author wants their book to be read, but few do serious thinking about who their readers actually are. A book written for everyone is a book written for no one. Especially in nonfiction, a granular understanding of your target readership and why they will want to pick up your book is critical, and should inform everything from the writing to the cover design to marketing strategy,” observes Naren Aryal, CEO, Amplify Publishing Group.
Gotham Ghostwriters — in partnership with Amplify, Thought Leadership Leverage, and Smith Publicity — conducted the Business Book ROI study to gauge the payoff of putting out a book. Smith Publicity CEO Sandy Poirier Smith says the payoff can be improved if authors start conversations with publicity partners as soon as they have a sense of their book’s pub date. “This way, you can build your optimal publicity timeline, strategy, and budget in order to reach your target audiences, mobilize your network, and support your author/business goals,” she offers.
In short: if you’re a planter of ideas and aspiring to grow a following for your book, don’t forget to seed your garden.
We at GG are ready to help planters of ideas. Before you’re ready to start writing, please get in touch.
